(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College baseball team (34-10, 20-8 in ACCAC) secured 20 ACCAC conference wins for the fifth straight year (excluding the 2020 Covid season) on Saturday as it swept Eastern Arizona College (21-16, 13-15) in a doubleheader between two ACCAC Division I programs.
The No. 19 ranked Aztecs have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 games. Freshman Collin Senior (Horizon HS) closed out the day going 3 for 7 with four RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore Jontae Hennesy (Horizon HS) finished 4 for 6 with two RBIs, two runs and two walks. Sophomore Brant Kragel was 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore J.T. Drake threw a complete-game and fellow sophomore Garrett Hicks (Verrado HS) pitched five and two-third innings of shutout ball in relief.
W – Drake (7-2). 2B: Kragel.
Game 1: (19) Pima Aztecs 2, Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters 1
The Aztecs scored their two runs in the 1st inning and held off a Gila Monsters’ rally.
Kragel put the Aztecs on the board with an RBI double to plate sophomore David Shackelford, who walked in the previous at-bat. Senior followed with an RBI single to drive in Kragel.
Senior went 1 for 2 with an RBI while Kragel was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Antonio Avila finished the game 2 for 2.
The Gila Monsters cut Pima’s lead in half with a run in the 4th inning. Drake did not give up a hit in the final three innings he pitched. He threw a complete game, giving up one run (one earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts on 87 pitches.
W – Hicks (4-1). 2B: Senior. 3B: Hennesy. SB: Cummings.
Game 2: (19) Pima Aztecs 12, Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters 2 (7 innings)
Senior hit a walk-off two-run RBI single to cap off a five-run 7th inning to earn the run rule victory.
The Aztecs loaded the bases to begin the 7th, and Hennesy hit a two-run RBI single to bring around sophomore Austin Madsen (Canyon del Oro HS) and Avila to make it 9-2. Sophomore Caleb Herd (Cienega HS) scored on a balk two batters later. Sophomore Ruben Castro (Tucson Magnet HS) hit a fielder’s choice to reach base, Shackelford hit a single and sophomore Benji Cazares hit a single to load the bases again to set up Senior’s walk-off.
Hennesy hit a lead-off triple in the 1st inning and scored on Castro’s groundout to tie the game at 1-1.
The Gila Monsters took the lead with a run in the 2nd inning but the Aztecs responded in the 3rd with two runs. Kragel hit a two-run RBI single to plate Hennesy and Castro, who hit back-to-back singles to start off the 3rd inning as Pima took a 3-2 advantage.
The Aztecs padded their lead in the 5th inning when Madsen hit an RBI single, and Herd drove a two-run RBI single to make it 6-2.
Senior hit an RBI double in the 6th inning and finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run scored while Hennesy went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Madsen was 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. Herd closed it out by going 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run and Kragel went 1 for 2 with two RBIs. Shackelford finished 2 for 2 with two runs and two walks.
Hicks got the win after he pitched the final five and two-third innings in relief, giving up two hits with nine strikeouts and one walk on 76 pitches.
The Aztecs will be back at the West Campus Aztec Field on Tuesday when they host Central Arizona College in an ACCAC doubleheader. First game starts at noon.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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